Kasaï-Oriental ( French for "East Kasai") was one of the eleven provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1966 and 2015, when it was split into the new, smaller Kasai-Oriental province, the Lomami and the Sankuru provinces.
31-585: It borders the provinces of Kasaï-Occidental to the west, Équateur to the northwest, Orientale to the northeast, Maniema to the east, and Katanga to the south. Kasaï-Oriental is one of the richest diamond producing regions in the world. The provincial capital is Mbuji-Mayi . Kasaï-Oriental is inhabited by members of the Luba tribe. Congo obtained independence from Belgium in 1960. Friction with Congo's other ethnic groups and encouragement by Belgian corporations hoping to keep their mining concessions led to
62-646: A stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Kasa%C3%AF-Occidental Kasaï-Occidental ( French for "Western Kasai"; Luba-Lulua : Kasai Wa Mubuelu ) was one of the eleven provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1966 and 2015, when it was split into the Kasaï-Central and the Kasaï provinces. The province of Kasaï-Occidental was established in 1966 by regrouping
93-516: A first or second language in many towns outside its native area notably in the towns of Luebo, mweka, Ilebo, Kakenge, Luiza, Kamonia, etc... Others natively spoken languages are: The major religion is Christianity, with Catholicism being the largest faith. Congo River The Congo River , formerly also known as the Zaire River , is the second-longest river in Africa , shorter only than
124-539: A new Kasai Province, and Lulua District would be combined with the city of Kananga to form the new Lulua Province. As of 24 May 2014, this had not taken place. French is the official language. Tshiluba also known as the Luba-Kasai language is spoken by about 6.3 million people in the Kasai region . It is the primary spoken language in the province and it is natively spoken in the cities of Kananga and Tshikapa, also in
155-673: Is a tributary of the Lualaba River , and Lualaba is the name of the Congo River upstream of Boyoma Falls , extending for 1,800 km (1,100 mi). Measured along with the Lualaba, the main tributary, the Congo River has a total length of 4,370 km (2,720 mi). It is the only major river to cross the Equator twice. The Congo Basin has a total area of about 4,000,000 km (1,500,000 sq mi), or 13% of
186-3893: Is in the Ruwenzori Mountains , at an altitude of around 4,340 m (14,240 ft) above sea level. Distribution of the Congo basin area between countries: The most important hydrological stations along the Congo River are: Brazzaville The Congo River discharge at Kinshasa / Brazzaville stations since the start of measurements (1902 to 2021): 5°08′30.4″S 13°59′27.9″E / 5.141778°S 13.991083°E / -5.141778; 13.991083 5°02′57.3″S 13°59′28.2″E / 5.049250°S 13.991167°E / -5.049250; 13.991167 5°01′49.5″S 14°01′37.2″E / 5.030417°S 14.027000°E / -5.030417; 14.027000 5°2′20.6″S 14°02′09.2″E / 5.039056°S 14.035889°E / -5.039056; 14.035889 4°56′50.7″S 14°09′21.2″E / 4.947417°S 14.155889°E / -4.947417; 14.155889 4°55′38.5″S 14°15′16.5″E / 4.927361°S 14.254583°E / -4.927361; 14.254583 4°54′03.3″S 14°24′18.2″E / 4.900917°S 14.405056°E / -4.900917; 14.405056 Brazzaville 4°16′47.3″S 15°18′32.8″E / 4.279806°S 15.309111°E / -4.279806; 15.309111 4°05′24.4″S 15°30′39.1″E / 4.090111°S 15.510861°E / -4.090111; 15.510861 3°52′43.4″S 15°55′11.6″E / 3.878722°S 15.919889°E / -3.878722; 15.919889 3°33′18.7″S 16°05′32.2″E / 3.555194°S 16.092278°E / -3.555194; 16.092278 3°28′52.5″S 16°07′18.3″E / 3.481250°S 16.121750°E / -3.481250; 16.121750 3°11′23.7″S 16°11′09.6″E / 3.189917°S 16.186000°E / -3.189917; 16.186000 3°10′36.4″S 16°11′41.5″E / 3.176778°S 16.194861°E / -3.176778; 16.194861 3°09′59.7″S 16°10′51.7″E / 3.166583°S 16.181028°E / -3.166583; 16.181028 2°48′33.9″S 16°11′40.1″E / 2.809417°S 16.194472°E / -2.809417; 16.194472 2°12′22.9″S 16°10′49.0″E / 2.206361°S 16.180278°E / -2.206361; 16.180278 2°09′28.5″S 16°12′16.5″E / 2.157917°S 16.204583°E / -2.157917; 16.204583 1°52′15.5″S 16°30′43.4″E / 1.870972°S 16.512056°E / -1.870972; 16.512056 1°37′55.5″S 16°37′59.4″E / 1.632083°S 16.633167°E / -1.632083; 16.633167 1°14′22.2″S 16°47′44.5″E / 1.239500°S 16.795694°E / -1.239500; 16.795694 1°03′13.5″S 17°08′58.0″E / 1.053750°S 17.149444°E / -1.053750; 17.149444 0°54′39.2″S 17°23′27.1″E / 0.910889°S 17.390861°E / -0.910889; 17.390861 0°43′38.5″S 17°33′02.9″E / 0.727361°S 17.550806°E / -0.727361; 17.550806 0°41′00.4″S 17°36′43.7″E / 0.683444°S 17.612139°E / -0.683444; 17.612139 0°25′58.1″S 17°50′13.3″E / 0.432806°S 17.837028°E / -0.432806; 17.837028 0°01′17.4″N 18°13′10.9″E / 0.021500°N 18.219694°E / 0.021500; 18.219694 0°30′22.1″N 25°11′03.4″E / 0.506139°N 25.184278°E / 0.506139; 25.184278 The main river and tributaries are (sorted in order from
217-511: Is situated annually produces one-tenth in weight of the world's industrial diamonds, with mining managed by the Société Minière de Bakwanga. This is the largest accumulation of diamonds in the world, more concentrated than those at Kimberley , South Africa . Mbuji-Mayi handles most of the industrial diamonds produced in the Congo. The former Kasai-Oriental was divided into the three districts of Tshilenge , Kabinda , and Sankuru ; and
248-687: The Atlantic Ocean and an additional 6% of bedload . The river and its tributaries flow through the Congo rainforest , the second largest rainforest area in the world, after the Amazon rainforest in South America. The river also has the second-largest flow in the world, behind the Amazon ; the second-largest drainage basin of any river, behind the Amazon; and is one of the deepest rivers in
279-568: The Inga dams , about 200 kilometres (120 mi) southwest of Kinshasa. The project was launched in the early 1970s, when the first dam was completed. The plan (as originally conceived) called for the construction of five dams that would have had a total generating capacity of 34,500 megawatts (MW). To date only the Inga I and Inga II dams have been built, generating 1,776 MW. In February 2005, South Africa 's state-owned power company, Eskom , announced
310-459: The Nile , as well as the third-largest river in the world by discharge volume, following the Amazon and Ganges rivers. It is the world's deepest recorded river, with measured depths of around 220 m (720 ft). The Congo– Lualaba – Luvua – Luapula – Chambeshi River system has an overall length of 4,700 km (2,900 mi), which makes it the world's ninth- longest river . The Chambeshi
341-578: The Pool Malebo (Stanley Pool). Kinshasa (formerly Léopoldville) and Brazzaville are on opposite sides of the river at the Pool, where the river narrows and falls through a number of cataracts in deep canyons (collectively known as the Livingstone Falls ), running by Matadi and Boma , and into the sea at Muanda . Lower Congo constitutes the "lower" parts of the great river; that is
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#1732786738996372-517: The Uíge Province in Angola to the confluence with the Congo at Zongo some 80 km (50 mi) downstream from the twin capitals. Because of the vast number of rapids, in particular the Livingstone Falls , this section of the river is not operated continuously by riverboats. The Congo basin covers ten countries and accounts for about 13% of Africa . The highest point in the Congo basin
403-533: The Atlantic Ocean. Opportunities for the Congo River and its tributaries to generate hydropower are therefore enormous. Scientists have calculated that the entire Congo Basin accounts for 13 percent of global hydropower potential. This would provide sufficient power for all of Sub-Saharan Africa 's electricity needs. Currently, there are about 40 hydropower plants in the Congo Basin. The largest are
434-646: The Congo below Boyoma Falls . The Chambeshi River in Zambia is generally taken as the source of the Congo in line with the accepted practice worldwide of using the longest tributary, as with the Nile River. The Congo flows generally toward the northwest from Kisangani just below the Boyoma Falls, then gradually bends southwestward, passing by Mbandaka , joining with the Ubangi River and running into
465-780: The Demba territory, dimbelenge territory (Except the Lukibu sector), Dibaya territory (except the Tshishilu sector), Kazumba territory (except the Kavula, Bashi-mboyi, and Tshitadi sectors) in Kamonia territory (Except the Bapende, Lovua-Lushiku, lovua-longatshimo, and Kasai-Longatshimo sectors), and in the Luebo territory (except some area in the northwest on the town of lwebo). Tshiluba is used as
496-518: The entire African landmass. The name Congo/Kongo originates from the Kingdom of Kongo once located on the southern bank of the river. The kingdom in turn was named after the indigenous Bantu Kongo people , known in the 17th century as "Esikongo". South of the Kingdom of Kongo proper lay the similarly named Kakongo kingdom, mentioned in 1535. Abraham Ortelius labelled "Manicongo" as the city at
527-410: The entire territory is covered by one sector that of Bakuba. Ilebo Territory seat Ilebo, divided in four sectors: Dekese territory seat Dekese, divided in two sectors: Cities and towns, with their 2010 populations, are: Under the 2006 constitution, Kasaï-Occidental was to have been divided into two provinces by 18 February 2009. Kasai District and the city of Tshikapa were to combine and become
558-611: The mouth heading upstream): Lower Congo (river mouth to Kinshasa ) Downstream of Kinshasa, from the river mouth at Banana , there are a few major tributaries. Middle Congo ( Kinshasa to the Boyoma Falls ) Upper Congo ( Lualaba ; upstream from the Boyoma Falls ) Although the Livingstone Falls prevent access from the sea, nearly the entire Congo above them is readily navigable in sections, especially between Kinshasa and Kisangani. Large river steamers worked
589-512: The mouth of the river in his world map of 1564. The tribal names in Kongo possibly derive from a word for a public gathering or tribal assembly. The modern name of the Kongo people or Bakongo was introduced in the early 20th century. The name Zaire is from a Portuguese adaptation of a Kikongo word, nzere ("river"), a truncation of nzadi o nzere ("river swallowing rivers"). The river
620-426: The name Kasaï to refer to the river. Kasaï-Occidental borders the provinces of Bandundu to the west, Équateur to the north, Kasai-Oriental to the east, and Katanga to the southeast. To the south it borders the country of Angola . The province is crossed by many major rivers: Kasai, Lulua, Loango, Sankuru, Lukeni, etc... The province is divided into the Kasaï and Lulua districts, with their headquarters in
651-424: The provinces of Luluabourg and Unité Kasaïenne which in turn were created 1962 when the historical Kasaï Province was divided in five provinces namely Lomami, Sankuru, Sud-Kasai, Luluabourg, Unité-Kasaïenne. The former provinces of Luluabourg and Unité-Kasaïenne correspond to the current districts of Lulua District and Kasaï District . Since its formation the provincial seat is Kananga (formerly Luluabourg) which
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#1732786738996682-510: The river until quite recently. The Congo River still is a lifeline in a land with few roads or railways. Railways now bypass the three major falls, and much of the trade of Central Africa passes along the river, including copper , palm oil (as kernels), sugar , coffee , and cotton . The Congo River is the most powerful river in Africa. During the rainy season over 50,000 cubic metres (1,800,000 cu ft) of water per second flows into
713-491: The secession of the province of South Kasai as a separate state headed by Albert Kalonji . After being repulsed, the Congo occupied the province in September 1961. Several thousand people were killed during the "pacification" of South Kasai, which lasted through the spring of 1962. The population of Mbuji-Mayi grew rapidly with the immigration of Luba people from other parts of the country. The region in which Mbuji-Mayi
744-592: The section of the river from the river mouth at the Atlantic coast to the twin capitals of Brazzaville and Kinshasa. In this section of the river, there are two significant tributaries, both on the left or south side. The Kwilu River originates in the hills near the Angolan border and enters the Congo some 100 km upstream from Matadi . The other is the Inkisi River , that flows in a northerly direction from
775-580: The towns of Luebo and Tshimbulu . Cities with independent administrations are Kananga in the Lulua district and Tshikapa in the Kasai district. The Kasai district is divided in five territories: Kamonia Territory seat Kamonia and is further divided in nine sectors: The tshikapa sector should not be confused with the city of Tshikapa which is administered independently Luebo Territory seat Luebo, divided in five sectors: Mweka Territory seat Mweka;
806-399: The two cities of Mbuji-Mayi and Mwene-Ditu . These were further divided into a total of 16 territories and 8 communes. French is the official language. Tshiluba is one of the four national languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Tshiluba is spoken by about 6.3 million people in the Kasai region . This Democratic Republic of the Congo location article is
837-499: The world, at depths greater than 220 m (720 ft). Because its drainage basin includes areas both north and south of the Equator , its flow is stable, as there is always at least one part of the river experiencing a rainy season . The sources of the Congo are in the highlands and mountains of the East African Rift , as well as Lake Tanganyika and Lake Mweru , which feed the Lualaba River , which then becomes
868-594: Was also the seat of the Kasaï Province between 1957 and 1962. The Province of Lusambo precedes the current entity, it was created 1933 by carving out the districts of Kasai and Sankuru from the Province of Congo-Kasaï , one of the four provinces established in 1924. The province of Lusambo changed its name to Kasaï Province in 1947 its provincial seat was still Lusambo until 1957 when it was moved to Luluabourg (now Kananga ). The Province of Kasai existed until it
899-517: Was known as Zaire during the 16th and 17th centuries; Congo seems to have replaced Zaire gradually in English usage during the 18th century, and Congo is the preferred English name in 19th-century literature, although references to Zahir or Zaire as the name used by the inhabitants remained common. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo are named after it, as
930-658: Was subdivided in 1962 into 5 provinces. The Province derives its name from the Kasai River which flows through the Kasaï District from south to north. The river is the second longest in DR. Congo and a major tributary of the Congo River . The Kasaï river was variously called Enzzadi, Nsadi, Nzadi, Kassabi, Kasye, Kassaba by the different local tribes (Luba, Tshokwe, Lunda, etc..), latter European explorers came to use
961-792: Was the previous Republic of the Congo which had gained independence in 1960 from the Belgian Congo . The Republic of Zaire during 1971–1997 was also named after the river's name in French and Portuguese . The Congo's drainage basin covers 4,014,500 km (1,550,000 sq mi), an area nearly equal to that of the European Union . The Congo's discharge at its mouth ranges from 23,000 to 75,000 m /s (810,000 to 2,650,000 cu ft/s), with an average of 41,000 m /s (1,400,000 cu ft/s). The river transports annually 86 million tonnes of suspended sediment to